Lady Gaga brings mayhem to the desert on Coachella Day 1

Woman Gaga carried out a gothic fever dream of a set to headline day one in all Coachella late on Friday, delighting a large crowd gathered to observe Mom Monster herself carry out hits outdated and new.

Recent off the discharge of her newest album “Mayhem,” the marquee performer of Friday’s line-up entertained her legions of Little Monsters, as her followers are identified, with a 90-minute set that included simulations of dying and rebirth.

She leaned closely into her new work of dancepop tracks, however the crowd roared when she carried out the main hits that made her title, together with “Paparazzi” and “Unhealthy Romance.”

Her rendition of “Poker Face” noticed Gaga taking part in towards her dancers in a large chess sport – the kind of efficiency artwork that made her one of many modern period’s seminal pop stars.

Missy Elliott in the meantime delivered a headliner-worthy present of her personal, a blistering, catalog-spanning set that includes trippy visuals, lasers and her smashes together with “Lose Management,” “Get Ur Freak On” and “Work It.”

Benson Boone carried out his hit of the second “Stunning Issues” – and did his signature showtime backflip, in fact – in addition to a rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” backed by none aside from Queen guitarist Brian Could.

British punk ravers The Prodigy packed a tent for his or her late-night set, and Blackpink’s Lisa – contemporary off a job in HBO’s hit present “The White Lotus” – electrified the stage solo, having twice carried out at Coachella together with her bandmates.

South African star Tyla in the meantime introduced out a large crowd as she gyrated alongside her troupe of dancers and a large tiger statue on Friday, a yr after an harm pressured her to tug out of the annual pageant.

Later within the weekend, Charli XCX is anticipated to show the grounds her signature “brat” inexperienced, after a blockbuster yr that noticed her newest album propel her to new echelons of fame.

Travis Scott will play a particular visitor slot following Inexperienced Day’s top-billed Saturday set, years after the hip-hop performer was slated to headline the 2020 pageant, which was finally scrapped as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.

And Publish Malone will shut out the weekend as Sunday’s headliner.

Heating up

The desert weekend marks the unofficial begin of music pageant season – and it was a scorcher, with temperatures cracking the 100-degree Fahrenheit mark (37.8 levels Celsius).

That made sunscreen dispensers and water refill stations a few of the hottest locations on the poorly shaded grounds because the afternoon solar blazed.

Among the many tens of 1000’s of music followers who traversed the sprawling grounds, many wielded paper followers and parasols, whilst some sported leather-based get-ups on the pageant that additionally doubles as a vogue runway.

The warmth was particularly robust on the exuberant costumed dancers of the youngsters’ tv musical present “Yo Gabba Gabba!” who made starring appearances on the grounds Friday afternoon, delighting revelers younger and outdated who scrambled to take selfies with the characters.

The present, first launched in 2007, has a cult following and is slated to carry out a full set on Saturday with a lot of celeb visitor stars.

“So many ‘children’ attending the pageant, grew up watching the present,” mentioned present co-creator Christian Jacobs in a backstage interview with AFP.

“That’s thrilling.”

Saturday can be anticipated to incorporate a buzzy set helmed by conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who will lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic within the first efficiency by a significant skilled orchestra at Coachella.

Rock’s received the beat

The ever-eclectic Coachella has leaned decidedly pop over the previous decade, however the 2025 version is getting again to the pageant’s rock roots.

Legendary all-women rock band The Go-Gos donned glittering, metallic outfits as they reunited at Coachella, performing their hits together with “Trip” and “We Obtained the Beat.”

Additionally they invited Inexperienced Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong onstage for a rendition of “Head Over Heels.”

Together with The Go-Gos and Inexperienced Day, rock acts together with the unique Misfits, Jimmy Eat World and cult punk legends Circle Jerks are slated to play.

“On this world gone sideways we all know one factor for sure – rock ‘n’ roll is endlessly, and its spirit is required now greater than ever,” mentioned Armstrong this yr in Billboard.

Coachella 2025 takes place on April 11-13 and 18-20.